Community Mediation Center Celebrates Twenty Years!

Congratulations are in order to the Community Mediation Center (CMC) in Harrisonburg, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary on May 3, 2002! The celebration began with a reception and a silent auction to which many local businesses donated merchandise and gift certificates.

Suzanne Daughety, Executive Director of CMC, welcomed the 165 friends and supporters who attended the event. Following a buffet dinner, Larry Hoover, one of the center's original founders, and Barry Hart, its first Executive Director, presented a program on the history of CMC entitled "A Walk Down Memory Lane." Larry and Barry, through a conversation with one another, shared stories with the audience about people and events that have helped to shape the Center's journey in the local community.

Don Wells was recognized as the "Father of Mediation" and Susan Hess, Margaret Foth and Kathe Smith along with Barry Hart were acknowledged as previous Executive Directors of the Center. Ron Kraybill was mentioned as one of CMC's original mediation trainers and Judge Paul as being one of the first judges to make referrals to the Center. Eddie Bumbaugh, Assistant Director of CMC, was honored for fifteen years of dedicated service. Tim Ruebke presented Eddie with a walking stick on behalf of the CMC staff, representing both his interest in hiking the Virginia section of the Appalachian Trail and his continued journey with the Center.

Among many noteworthy CMC program initiatives, Larry and Barry mentioned that a Victim Offender Reconciliation Program was among the original services offered by the Center. Also, CMC started the first Peer Mediation Program in Virginia under the direction of Carolyn Yoder and later Faye Wampler.

The celebration concluded with a benefit concert by two local physicians, John Glick and Steve Phillips. Glick and Phillips received a standing ovation from an appreciative CMC audience for providing everyone with a fun-filled evening.

From CMC's roots that began in a small office donated by the Community Mennonite Church in 1982, CMC has been blessed with many dedicated individuals, businesses and organizations that have played a role in the rich history of the Center. Today, they enjoy a 4,000 square foot office, mediation and training space, a staff of twenty-two people (nine paid, seven volunteer, and six student-intern staff), and a mediator pool of over sixty trained mediators.

CMC held the celebration as a special way to recognize and honor the Center's community of friends, both past and present, who have helped to launch and sustain the Center's conflict resolution and restorative justice programs over the course of the past twenty years.